MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) does not expect the Omicron XE to dodge the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, a member of its Technical Advisory Group said Tuesday.
According to Dr. Edsel Salvana, Omicron XE is a recombinant of Omicron sub-lineages BA.1 and BA.2.
“Most of our vaccines really target BA.1 and BA.2 na medyo may (with) breakthrough infection,” Salvana said in a media forum.
“There’s always a possibility that it can come in but we don’t expect it to be more severe and we don’t expect it to dodge vaccines any worse than BA.1 or BA.2,” he further noted.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that Omicron XE is 10-percent more infectious than the BA.2.
Recently, Thailand recorded its first case of the Omicron XE, a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Following the reported case, the DOH assured the public that it is monitoring the situation and is in coordination with the WHO.